Brassiere



K. WASHBURN Sept. 6, 1949.

BRASSIfiRE Filed April 28, 1947 .Ewemiw' Patented Sept. 6, 1949 UNITED 2,481,373 BRASSIERE Kathryn Washburn, Bethesda, Md; now by marriage Kathryn Ewert Application April 28, 1947, Serial No. 744,436

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in brassieres of the type which is commonly known as the uplift brassiere; and the objects of the improvement are, first, to provide a means by which the breasts of the wearer are kept definitely separated during the period in which the garment is worn; second, to provide a device for keeping the breasts separated which is simple in construction and unapparent; and, third, to provide an improvement to the uplift brassiere which will assure to the wearer the desired contour and continued separation of the breasts and which will be simple to put on and comfortable to wear.

My invention is designed more specifically for the woman whose breasts are infirm and pendulous and for the Woman whose breasts are large, who do not wish to wear a complicated article of many straps and means of adjustment which are uncomfortable to Wear and whose separation features are apparent.

This improvement to the uplift brassire which I have invented is simple in construction, comfortable to wear, is not apparent, and will definitely keep the breasts separated, even after strenuous exercise and after unlimited hours of Wear.

Many women know the discouraging experience of trying various types of brassieres, only to find that after a short period of time the breasts have come together and that the desired appearance of separated breasts has not been obtained.

This improvement which I have invented is a strip of material passing under each breast and attached to the brassiere at the front center of the brassire and at the outer or underarm side of each cup.

In any of the instances outlined above, the strip is out of sight, under the breasts; will hold the front center section of the brassiere close to the body and will keep the breasts separated.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In this illustration, the strip of material I is stitched to the right outside underarm side 2 of the right cup 3 and passes through slits 4-4 at the center front section of the brassiere and is stitched to the left outside underarm 5 section of the left cup 6.

This strip of material need not be elastic but, preferably, is, to allow for comfortable expansion of the chest in breathing. It may be of elastic covered with soft cloth or plastic material to minimize the possibility of chafing. This strip of material is approximately one-half to one inch in width and may be stitched to the outside underarm side of each cup and run through two slit openings at or near the top of the front center section of the brassiere as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. When ironing the brassire, the cups may be moved back and forth on the strip since they are not fastened at the front center section but pass through the slit openings.

Or the strip of material may be stitched at both outside underarm sides of the cups and fastened to the front center section of the brassiere by a button and buttonhole arrangement or by a hook and eye or snap fastener. Or each cup may have its individual strip, stitched to the front center section and stitched to the outside underarm side of the cup or fastened thereto with button and buttonhole or hook and eye or snap fastener.

This improvement to the uplift brassiere which I have invented also applies to the brassire section of the bathing suit and strapless evening gown or any article of womens wearing apparel employing the brassire top.

This under-the-breasts brassire strip which I have invented may be manufactured separately to be attached by the purchaser to her brassieres, bathing suits or other articles of wearing apparel employing the brassiere top, or it may be incorporated in the brassire or other type of garment employing the brassire top in the factory. When the under-the-breast brassiere strip is incorporated in the garment in the factory, it is understood that there may be variations in incorporating the strip into the garment without departing from the principle and scope of the invention. As an example, the strip may be incorporated in such a manner that it extends past the underarm section and may extend completely about the body.

I claim:

In a brassiere of the uplift type, a pair of breast cups having a center front section forming a line of demarkation along the medial line of the brassiere and extending vertically between said cups, and a strip of material for passing under the breasts to be contained in said cups, said strip being of an elastic character and attached at its opposite ends to the opposite, outer side edges of said cups and passing through a slitted portion in said center front section, so as to lie in a plane extending substantially horizontally through the apices of said cups, being thereby positioned to embrace the breasts of the wearer in an underlying relation to their nipples, thus holding the front center section of the brassire close to the body while maintaining the breasts separated.

KATHRYN WASHBURN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,534,525 Freeman May 11, 1926 2,296,343 Glasser Sept. 22, 1942 

